Life-boat.



F. A. GRAHAM.

LIFE BOAT- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12. 191B.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

INVENTOR A TTOR/l/EVS m: NnRRIs PEYERS co..Pno1o-|.1mo., wAsruNcrrw FWKARCHIE GRAHAM, OIE HARBOR SPRINGS, MICHIGAN.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A191". aefiaia.

Application filed August 12. 1918. Serial No. 249,455.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Harbor Springs, in the county of Emmet and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and Improved Life-Boat, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description. i

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in .vieware:to provide boats of the character mentioned which may be stored withinsmall compass; to provide boats of the character mentioned with fullservice equipment at all times; to provide means for manually operatingmeans for propelling the boat; and to provide'a center-board forsteadying the action of the boat'in the seaway. To provide lightness andstrength by form of keel acting as skeg at stern, tunnel sides forpropeller box for centerboard and support for center of seat grating.

Drawings.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a boat constructed andarranged in accordance with the present invention, the section beingtaken as on the median line thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the boat;

Fig. 3 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing in vertical sectionthe mechanism employed for propelling the boat;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on an enlarged scale, the section being takenas'on'the line 44inFig.2;

i Fig. 5 is a detail view on an enlarged scale, the section being takenas on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2; i

Fig. 6 is a detail view in section on an enlarged scale, the sectionbeing taken as on the line 66 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing several boats constructed andarranged in accordance with the present invention in their nested orstowed relation. 1

Description.

boats constructed and arranged in accord ance with the present inventionmay be disposed one within the other when stowed. In this position itwill be' noted that the gunwales 12 are disposed in superposed relation.These boats may be provided with jury masts for propelling the boats bysails.

,The masts preferred and the sails used in conjunction therewith areshown in a companlon application, Serial No. 190,7 52, filed September21, 1917, for improvements in 1 life boats, to which co-pendingapplication in nested position.

As shown in Fig. 1, the center-board 26 normally extends below thebottom of the keel and of the boat. The ocket 25 is covered tightly byaflooring 27, which prevents the admission of water to the body of theboat when the boat is in active service. The header 24 forms a terminalwall of the pocket 28. The pocket 28 is provided for the mounting of atransmission mechanism, by means of which the propeller 29 is operated.The propeller 29 is disposed in a pocket 30, which is separated from thepocket 28 by the inclined wall 31. The rear of the pocket 30 is sealedby an inclined wall 32, which joins the flooring 33 to form the bottomat the rear end of the keel.

The transmission mechanism which operates the propeller consistsprimarily of a bevel or spiral gear wheel 34. The teeth of the gearwheel 34 are meshed with the teeth of a pinion or worm 35 at the innerend of a shaft 36. Additional or different gears may be provided toproduce the number of revolutions necessary for ethcient operation ofthe propeller. The shaft 3o extends through bearings 37. The bearings 37are provided with gland nuts 38 which prevent seepage through the saidbearings to the interior of the boat.

The gear wheel 34 is suitably mounted on a stud shaft 39. The studshaft, as seen best in Fig. 2 of the drawings, is mounted in a standard40 at one side of the gearwheel 34 to enable the same to be rotated by acrank pin extending from the back of the said gear wheel and to which aconnecting...

rod 41 is attached. The connecting rod 41 is pivotally attached to acrank 42, on a rocking shaft 43. As shown best in Fig.- 2 of thedrawings, the rocking shaft 43 is connected by means of rods 44, withswinging bars 45. The bars 45 are pivotally attached to rocking sockets47 The sockets 47 are provided for receiving in active service, theswinging bars 45 which are inserted therein. When inactively disposed,the bars 45 are lifted from the sockets, which may be folded below thelevel of the gratings 19, and thereby avoid interference with thenesting or stowing of the boats.

Before or after one of the boats is launched, the rudder 48 is shipped,the same being connected with the boat by means of apivot pin 49. Thepivot pin is suitably mounted in a bracket 50. The rudder 48 is providedwith a tiller bar.

The gunwales 12 are constructed in any suitable manner either as hollowpontoons or from some suitable solid floating material, such as cork.

To prevent the drag of the water in the chamber 30 thereof, I provide anair pump 52, having a delivery pipe 53, the delivery end whereof entersthe ocket 30 in front of the propeller 29. Wien air pressure is suppliedby the pump 52 to the pocket 30, the water in the said pocket is forcedtherefrom and through the blades of the pro peller 29.

It is obvious that when provided with boats constructed and arranged inaccordance with the present invention, an increased number may becarried on a vessel, owing to the fact that the boats are arranged tonest one within the other. Also it is obvious that when boatsconstructed and provided as above described are launched, they are fullyequipped with the necessary means for propelling the same, thus avoidingdisasters which have resulted from launching boats without properpropelling means.

When these boats are launched, the swinging or lever bars 46 are takenfrom their lashings and placed in the sockets 47. It will be observedthat there are four or more such lever bars. The occupants of the boatsmay be employed in rocking the lever bars 46, the connecting bars 45,through the con- 1 netting rods 44, rotating the shaft 43. The

shaft 43 being rotated, the gear wheel 34 is rotated with the resultthat the propeller 29 is driven.

It will be understood that no special instruction being required foroperating the lever bars 46, all the passengers or occupants of a boatcould contribute to the necessary labor for driving the boat to a port.

It will also be understood that as each boat is lifted from its nestedposition, the center-board 26. of each drops to the service position,such as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Any sudden eflort to capsizethe boat will be counteracted by the resistance of the center-board.

When the boats are lifted from the water or originally stowed on deck,the centerboards 26 are held each in its pocket 25.

When the rudders 48 are unshipped and the levers 46 lifted from thesockets 47, they are stowed in the recesses below the gratings 19. Thesockets 47 are disposed in lowered position as also is accomplished withthe pump 52, so that no projection extends above the gratings 19 in eachof the boats. It is obvious that in this position the boats may bestowed in the manner described. It is equally obvious that when theboats are launched, all of the essential devices necessary for thepropulsion of each boat will be found therein.

Claims.

1. A boat comprising a box-like keel; means for dividing the keel toform alternately upwardly-opening and downwardlyopening pockets; acenter-board pivotally mounted in to be retracted within one of thedownwardly-opening pockets; and means for propelling said boat, saidmeans embodye ing a propeller disposed in service in one of thedownwardly-opening pockets, and operating means for said propellerdisposed in an adjacent and upwardly-opening pocket.

2. A boat comprising a box-like keel; means for dividing the keel toform alternately upwardly-opening and downwardlyopening pockets; acenter-board pivotally mounted in to be retracted within one of thedownwardlv-opening pockets; and means for propelling said boat, saidmeans embodying a propeller disposed in service in one of thedownwardly-opening pockets. and operating means for said propellerdisposed in an adjacent and upwardly-opening pocket, said meansembodying a driving mechanism having a rocking shaft, a plurality ofrocking levers connected therewith for rocking said shaft from differentparts of said boat, and translating mechanism for connecting saidpropeller and said shaft for changing the reciprocatory movement of saidshaft to a rotary movement for said propeller. V e i 3. A boatcomprising a box-like keel; one of the downwardly-opening pockets, andmeans for dividing the keel to form alteroperating means for saidpropeller disposed l0 nately upwardly-opening and downwardlyin anadjacent and upwardly-opening opening pockets; a center-board pivotallypocket, said means embodying a manually mounted in to be retractedWithin one of the driven shaft, and means for translating adownwardly-opening pockets; and means reciprocatory movement to a rotarymovefor propelling said boat, said means emment for said propeller.bodying a propeller disposed in service in FRANK ARCHIE GRAHAM.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

